RE: New jetta opinion poll... GLX or Wolfsburg?

["Bill Hussey" <list_squid@hotmail.com>]

>From: "Ng, Kevin" <Kevin.Ng@bankofamerica.com>
>Date: Wed, 18 Apr 2001 11:18:02 -0400
>
>Bill first of all it looks like you are comparing the Mk3 to the E46.
>Understandable, since you are moving from one to the other. Of course the
>BMW is going to be better. It's also nearly twice the price. I would think
>that a Jetta is much better car than a Hyundai Accent. I would also think
>that a Porsche 996 Turbo is a much better car than a BMW 3 series. 150%?
>200%? Who knows, can't really put a number on things like that. But I will
>say that as far as the interior and the sound system, the Mk4 is pretty
>darned close in quality to the E46.

Hell .. don't even take the E46, take the E30 ... my friend's '86 325e has a 
stiffer chassis, better road manners, and more feel than my '98 Jetta.

>Ok let's talk performance. On paper, yes the BMW beats the Jetta in every
>category. But why do you keep talking track? Don't get me wrong, I love
>racing too. In fact I did some laps in my Jetta at Lime Rock just this past
>Friday. But 99.99% of drivers don't go to the track 99.99% of the time. 
>Face
>it, production cars are designed for the street, and on the street the
>performance margin between the 3 series and the Jetta is negligible. Hell,
>even if you do wanna talk track, I bet I can take a Jetta to within a 
>second
>or two of a 3 series' lap times. And that sure ain't a 150% difference :)

I mention the track because it's the safest place to explore the limits and 
true handling of a vehicle.  I don't feel a true critique of a vehicle can 
be made without track time being involved.  On any public road, you're 
always backing off at minimum a little bit ... you can't really PUSH a car 
on the street.  That's not to say you can't have fun in a turn or two ... 
but you can't push hard enough to know what the car does when, for example, 
you life the inside rear wheel threshold braking up to the apex of a corner 
you just entered a tad hot ... or how predicatble the rear-end will be when 
you start exploring the accleratory traction limits exiting corners under 
full lateral load.  On the track .. in most cases, a spin ends up being 
nothing more than a crack to the ego, maybe a dented fender or two from a 
tire wall.  On the street, it's much worse.  And it's those traits of car, 
the ability to be at the limit and beyond, yet still be in control, that is 
the essence of a rewarding driving experience.

Personally, I'm getting this car as a track car and occasional date machine. 
  Everything else gets done by motorcycle.  I've got a 2001 CBR929 that is 
my daily commuter, my grocery getter, and my errand runner every day out of 
the year with the exception of the 5 or 10 days every winter that Mother 
Nature is actually able to accumulate snow on the ground here in the NYC 
are.  In the last 3.5 years, I've put 95,000 miles on my motorcycles, and 
maybe 6,000 in a car ... most of that is traveling to CCA 
events/auto-crosses and the actual track/parking-lot time itself ... so yes, 
track manners are VERY important to me.

>To me, both the Jetta and the 3 series are good cars for the money. But 
>even
>if I had the money I probably wouldn't buy a BMW. Why? Because, like it or
>not, most BMW owners *are* snobbish and believe they are better than
>everyone else. :P

So a few assholes buy BMWs and that means you shouldn't??  I know plenty of 
assholes that drive VW's ... you gonna sell your car now?  Personally, I 
agree with the snobbish thing, but those are usually the same punks who buy 
it cause it's a "Luxury" car and have no idea what they actually have .... 
if it were up to me, you'd have to be able to turn predetermined lap times 
if you wanted to own a BMW .. even the X5.

>All that said, my next planned purchase will be a BMW, sort of: a '02 Mini
>Cooper S. Let's see you take on that little bugger at the track :)

I went to the NY Auto Show at the Jacob Javitts center on Saturday and saw 
the Mini Cooper guys there.  It's a great looking car.  The body/frame was 
designed in a joint venture between Chrysler and BMW (if you look close 
enough, you can tell in what ways the Germans won the design arguments, and 
which ways the Americans won them).  The engine is made by a british 
company, whos name not only escapes me, but I've never heard of before.  
It's a shame really .. the interior is done up very well (Except for the 
locations of the dials, too cartoonish for me), then you open teh engine bay 
and it's very crappy looking.  It's all black (which makes it look dirty), 
and the machining of the metals was done horribly, there are welds visible 
everywhere, wires hanging every which way, and it's a general cluster-fart 
in there ... definately doesn't belong in that car.

There had been rumors that BMW was pushing to have the driveline power the 
rear wheels, which wouldn't have been historically correct (the original 
Mini was FWD), but would've really turned the thing into a pocket rocket.  
The new one is in fact FWD, but looks cool anyway.  The official word is 
2200 pounds, about the same as the new MR2, and 200 pounds less than a 
Miata, but I wonder if that's wet or dry weight which will make a big 
difference.

Bill
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